Way to Dawn
by Kagaminelover657
Summary: His home has been destroyed. His two friends are missing. Can things get any worse for Riku? Seems like they can, since apparently he's the only one who can stop this whole epidemic. But being half infected by the Heartrus virus makes him both enemy and ally, and so very few trust him. With his loyalty called into question, will Riku save everyone and find his friends?


**So yes, I came up with another Kingdom Hearts story idea. Why? I heard you ask. Well, I'll explain.**

**I haven't really been feeling myself lately, and my muse for some of my stories has died down because of it. I'm just feeling unwell really, and I'm trying to stop myself from getting stressed over things. So to keep my mind active and not give up on story writing, I came up with this idea. **

**This is based off an SL (A.K.A. Storyline for Roleplay) on Twitter related to Left 4 Dead 2, focusing around the Mercer Virus. It continued on for 3 days straight, attacking everyone's Timelines. It was pretty hectic, but the storyline itself was very well thought out. Then my mind came up with this question: Could something like this fit in with Kingdom Hearts? **

**And that was how this story was born. I focused mainly on the virus from the SL, but all the elements in this story are completely of my own thought. You'll witness the effects of this made up virus from the different points of view of different characters throughout the story. But for now, just for this chapter so I don't reveal too many spoilers, it is mainly all focused around one person and their contact with another survivor. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the storyline in this fanfiction. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. **

* * *

Chapter 1: Spread of the Poison

Riku slowly opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by nothing but darkness. He felt different for some reason, but he couldn't think why. And that was when he realised there was a reason why he was here. It took him a moment to remember and go over what had happened previously, before panic started to take over him.

(The islands… Sora… Kairi…)

Riku began looking around frantically for an escape route; however, since it was too dark, he was unsuccessful at seeing any form of an exit. He placed both his hands to the sides of his mouth, and began shouting loudly in the hopes of someone hearing him.

"Help! Someone help me! Sora! Kairi! Anybody! Please!-"

No one was answering him. Riku didn't want to give up though. He continued to shout as loud as he could in the hopes of anyone hearing him. The minute he felt his throat start to dry up, he ceased with his shouting. He didn't want to hurt his throat. Riku sighed heavily, preparing to give up. He had no idea where he was. How would anyone even hear him in a spacious place like this? The only thing answering him was his own echo. He was alone. And he was just going to have to accept that, despite how scary it was.

_You called?_

The quiet, yet gentle voice startled Riku, causing him to swirl around to look behind him out of panic. His eyes began darting around, trying to find the source of the voice. He could see no one. He hadn't expected anyone to answer him. Swallowing, Riku finally gained the courage to speak up.

"W-Who are you?"

There was a small silence before the voice responded.

_My name is Namine. And you are?_

"R-Riku…"

He was quite frightened. Despite the voice being calm, he couldn't see who the person was. And the voice appeared to be sounding from inside his head, which didn't help ease his nerves. However, the voice had answered his call, right? So they must want to help him. Well, _she _must want to help him. Riku could tell the person talking to him was a girl.

_It's nice to meet you Riku. I believe you were the one whose light I sensed, correct?_

Riku had no idea what Namine meant, but slowly nodded in agreement as if she could see him. He just wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

"Yes. Yes it was"

There was another small silence before Namine continued.

_What is it that you need help with?_

Riku went to tell her; however he paused. Now that he had finally gotten her attention, he wasn't sure as to exactly why he needed help in the first place. He tried to get his thoughts in order, calming himself down. He was still pretty shaken from the turn of events. After some thinking, he came up with a response.

"I'm lost. I'm trying to find my way out of here, and also find my friends. I have no idea where I am or where they are"

A long pause soon followed between the two before Namine finally spoke again.

_Well, let's try solving one problem at a time. Now, about your current whereabouts… Can you describe to me what you see?_

Riku glanced around quickly once more, just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. But what was there to miss, really? All of it was the same: darkness.

"There's only darkness surrounding me. I can't see anything else"

_Are you sure? Check again._

Confused by what she meant, Riku did as he was told. His eyes finally landed on a rectangle of light nearby, right in front of his eyes.

"I see light…"

_That light won't hurt you Riku. I assure you. If you walk through it, you should end up somewhere else._

Hesitating a little, Riku slowly walked forward towards the rectangle of light. Despite him wondering how Namine knew these things, he decided to trust her for now. She didn't seem like she wanted to harm him, nor did she sound like she wanted to hurt him. Of course, looks and sounds can be deceiving… He was aware of that.

Riku winced and narrowed his eyes, using his arm to shield them, as he stepped through the rectangle of light.

* * *

When his vision finally adjusted, Riku found that he was no longer caked in darkness. The town around him was surrounded by it; however there were bright lights littered around him. He was glad there was at least some light here. However, there was still no sign of life anywhere. He was still alone. Not even Namine was standing here in front of him. Was she somewhere around here?

_Can you describe your surroundings to me now, Riku?_

Riku slowly glanced around once again, taking in every detail he could.

"Well, there is still darkness here; however, it's behind large black buildings with bright neon lights on them. And there are grey paved roads which seem to go on forever…"

_You're in The World That Never Was._

"The World… That Never Was?"

_Yes. Don't let the name fool you. This world used to prosper with both light and darkness; however, the darkness engulfed it long before other worlds. This was the first world to be taken over. This is also home to the notorious Organisation XIII._

Riku looked around once more. His fascination with this place had now been piqued. A world of both light and darkness? He had never heard of such a thing before.

"I see"

_And now to answer your second dilemma… Who are your friends?_

Riku felt around in the pocket of his jeans, slowly taking out a good luck charm in the shape of a star, coloured a light pink.

"Kairi and Sora"

_Can you tell me what happened to cause your separation?_

Riku closed his eyes, clutching tightly onto the good luck charm in his hand. He had remembered Kairi had dropped this while they were running down the beach. He was going to return it to her, but that was when…

"The darkness attacked our home. The three of us were trying to escape from a group of infected. Kairi tripped as they gained on us. Sora ran back to help her, but…"

Riku sighed heavily.

"He ended up getting bitten by one of them. As I tried to pull Kairi away, one of them scratched me. Sora was fully consumed by the Heartrus Virus and… Well, you can probably guess what happened to him. The island broke apart, and before I knew what was happening, I was whisked off the island. Kairi and Sora were too. We ended up separated. After that, I can't remember what happened, not until I woke up surrounded by the darkness…"

_You said you were scratched by one of the infected. So, shouldn't you be consumed by the Heartrus Virus?_

"That's exactly what I thought, but… Well, I know I have been infected. I feel different, but I'm still in control of my actions. And I still look like me. I think…"

There was silence again before Namine responded.

_There's a puddle beside your feet on the left.-_

Riku turned his head towards it as she spoke.

_-Could you look at yourself and tell me if you see anything different about your appearance?_

Riku slowly poked his head over the puddle, and stared calmly at his reflection on its surface. He already noticed a change to his appearance. For some reason, it didn't bother Riku. He was expecting something like this to happen anyway.

"My left eye is yellow instead of its usual greeny-blue"

Riku glanced down at his left arm to find it was completely black. It was a similar colour to that of a Heartless' skin.

"My left arm is also consumed by darkness. And it has a bright red scratch on it, which I assume is where I was attacked by the infected"

There was another small silence in between the two of them. Riku wondered if he had stumped Namine in some way.

_I think you might be immune to the Heartrus Virus.-_

Her sudden reply had startled Riku a little. He hadn't been expecting it surprisingly.

_-I can sense that you are very special Riku. Your heart has balanced both your light and darkness evenly. Since the virus is mainly made up of darkness, when it infected you, your darkness increased; however, your light fought back, and managed to balance out with your darkness. I think your light saved you from being consumed fully by the infection; however it still altered your appearance. So I think you're half infected, and that is clearly shown. Only one side of your body has been impacted by the virus._

Riku slowly placed a gloved hand to his chest, staring down at his reflection in the puddle once more.

"I never realised my heart was balanced with both light and darkness like that. I guess I got lucky…"

He looked up from the puddle then, staring straight ahead.

"But what about Sora and Kairi? Do you know where they are?"

_I have sensed two other lights calling out for help. A boy with brunette, spiky hair and a girl with auburn hair… Are these your friends?_

Riku nodded eagerly.

"Yes. Yes they are"

_Sadly, I don't have enough strength to reach out to them, so I can't tell you where they are. I can tell you however that they are both safe and together, and that the infection hasn't fully taken over Sora either. His appearance has changed, and he seems to have gained amnesia, but he is still in control. _

Riku sighed in relief. He was glad to hear they were both unharmed.

"I'm glad. So they are away from the infected and Heartless?"

_Yes they are. You don't have to worry anymore._

Riku carefully put Kairi's good luck charm back in his pocket. He honestly hoped that they stayed safe too. No matter where they were, he knew he would find them, and they would find him. They were destined to reunite someday. He stood there silently for a moment.

"Namine. Who are you exactly?"

There was a long silence that dragged on in between them before she answered him.

_Who am I? I'm not sure. It's silly really. But I honestly don't know who I am. _

"Well, how are you able to communicate with me right now?"

_The ability I have allows me to locate the lost light and reach out to it. This is the first time I have done this. You're the first person I've talked to this way._

"And what is this ability of yours?"

_I have the power to break and create memories from scratch. I don't know why I have it, or if there is even a right way to use it, but it has caused me to be the target of quite a few people…_

The last sentence sounded uneasy to him. Riku decided not to press on that matter any further.

"So, can you please tell me anything about Organisation XIII?"

_Organisation XIII claim to be a group who help survivors and dispose of the infected; however, that is not the case. They do help survivors, but their main aim is to take over the worlds by controlling the infected. To do that, they need the cure for the virus. Luckily, it hasn't been created yet, but if they manage to get hold of the cure, the worlds will forever remain in darkness. They are only killing some of the infected for now, just to gain people's trust._

"That's just horrid. Then again, I had a feeling someone would take advantage of something like this…"

_But that is the main reason why you can't stay in this area much longer. I have a feeling they might try to slaughter you, since in their eyes you are still infected, despite it only being half. _

"How do you know so much about them?"

There was a short pause.

_Let's just say they were somehow involved in the experiment that caused this epidemic in the first place…_

Riku was intrigued now.

"Were you there when it happened?"

Another short pause occurred.

_You could say that, yes… But back to the main topic at hand. I don't think it's safe for you here. You need to leave as soon as possible._

Riku scanned around the area again to look for some sort of exit.

"Is there a way out of here?"

_There is. Hold out one hand and close your eyes._

Riku was hesitant at first.

"How does that help?"

_Trust me Riku. It will work._

What was Namine going to make him do? Obeying, he held out his right hand and closed his eyes tightly.

_Now imagine a corridor; a corridor filled with nothing but darkness. It doesn't matter what shape the corridor is. Just imagine any corridor._

Riku imagined a long corridor in front of him, similar to that of a school one, with a large swirl of darkness creeping its way towards him. He used the images he had seen from Destiny Islands in order to help him concentrate. That was when he heard the sound of something being formed in front of him; however he didn't open his eyes. He was waiting for Namine to tell him that it was ok.

_Ok, you can look now._

Riku slowly opened his eyes to find a portal of darkness in front of him. His eyes widened slightly, surprised that he had actually formed it.

"What is that?"

_It's a corridor of darkness, or a dark corridor as it is nicknamed. Walkers of the dark are able to summon them in order to travel from world to world. Since you have the abilities of a Heartless, you are able to control and use the same techniques that they can._

Riku stared down at his hands in wonder.

"I can do that…? That is incredible. So, where will this dark corridor lead me to?"

_If I'm right, it should lead you to Twilight Town. You'll be safe there for the time being. It has already been overrun by the infected, but you'll be fine. They can't detect you. Just hide in the abandoned mansion at the other end of the forest. No one can get in there. I believe you can wield the weapon required to open the gate, correct?_

"You mean the Keyblade?"

_Yes. There is a large padlock on the gate. You will need to use the Keyblade to open it, and then seal it again from the inside. _

"Why am I going there? Can't I send myself home?"

_Where do you originally come from?_

"Destiny Islands"

_I'm afraid you can't return there. If the darkness attacked your home, it is most likely that Destiny Islands was destroyed. _

"I see… But why are you telling me all of this in one go? Isn't the place you are sending me where you are currently?"

Silence plagued the air once again before Namine responded.

_No. That is not where I am unfortunately. I shouldn't really be talking to you right now, but the watcher guarding over me and my companion hasn't returned yet. You don't want to be where I am right now. Trust me._

Riku frowned a little in worry. He didn't want to be left all on his own, and if Namine was in trouble, he certainly didn't want her getting hurt. She had been kind enough to help him, so why shouldn't he help her in return? She was the only one he could trust right now, and the only other person alive besides an infected.

"I'll come and find you. If you tell me where you are, I'll come and help you. You helped me, and I want to return the favour…"

Another small silence came before Namine sighed a little.

_Thank you for the offer Riku, but it's too dangerous. I know you're frightened of being alone, but you won't be for much longer. I would continue talking to you, but I can feel the last of my strength starting to fade. However, don't worry. If ever you find yourself in doubt, use your light to call out to me. I promise I'll try and answer. _

"So… Is this goodbye?"

_For now, yes. _

"Will I ever get to see you in person?"

Silence filled the air again.

_Maybe. It all depends on how things plan out. But I know for a fact that once this is all over, we will get to meet each other._

Riku stared intently towards the dark corridor before sighing a little.

"Goodbye Namine. Thank you for your help, and good luck"

_Thank you Riku. Good luck to you too. And remember: always stay on the road to dawn. If ever you are in doubt, follow your heart._

Riku felt the connection between him and Namine break up. He continued to stand there silently, allowing the words to sink in.

"Always stay on the road to dawn. If ever you are in doubt, follow your heart…"

He gently placed a hand to his chest, closing his eyes.

"Follow my heart, huh? How do I know whether my heart will guide the way I have to go? I guess I'll never know until it happens…"

Taking in a deep breath, he slowly walked through the dark corridor.

* * *

As Riku slowly stepped through the dark corridor, his eyes widened at the streets in front of him. He was quite alarmed to find the whole area surrounded in a large barrier of darkness. The whole area had gained a dark grey colour. It looked really depressing. Then again, the town had been consumed by darkness. Darkness was very depressing, but not to the eyes of those who wield such a thing.

Summoning "Way to Dawn" in his right hand, Riku quietly began manoeuvring his way from street to street, keeping a close eye out for any infected that might still be lurking around.

He was on the full alert, all the while retracing the instructions that Namine had given him through his head over and over again.

(Head to the other side of Twilight Town and towards the forest…)

As he continued to move his way throughout Twilight Town, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

(Why couldn't I have been like this back on Destiny Islands? Maybe I could have prevented being separated from Sora and Kairi. Or maybe, I could have prevented Sora from getting attacked by one of the infected…)

A loud groan sounded from behind him. Riku froze suddenly and slowly turned around to see a small horde of infected citizens running towards him. They had bright glowing yellow eyes, with darkness evaporating around them. Their skin, hair, everything about them had now been coloured black. His eyes widened in alarm.

(Damn it! I knew summoning my Keyblade was a bad idea! Maybe it was this that revealed our location to the infected the last time. After all, Sora said he did sense light within the Keyblades we wield…)

Riku quickly shook his head, getting rid of those thoughts immediately, as he began sprinting away down a nearby alleyway, with the infected following closely at his heels. He quickly summoned away his Keyblade.

(No time to be debating Riku! Time for you to get in touch with your inner infected self!)

Riku held out his infected arm in an attempt to summon another dark corridor away from them. Instead, he ended up watching with widened eyes as his arm suddenly stretched forward. It was going past its original length, and yet surprisingly it didn't hurt. It was like his arm was made out of stretchy material. He saw his arm heading towards a nearby ledge on a tall building. Grinning, Riku quickly grabbed onto the ledge tightly with his hand, and allowed his arm to return to normal length.

While this was happening, he found himself being pulled up and away from the infected. The infected quickly halted in their tracks as they watched Riku go up to the ledge. Once his arm had returned to normal length, and that Riku was now dangling by one hand off the edge of a tall building, he quickly pulled himself up and started running across the roof.

(Whoa! I didn't know I could do that!)

Glancing down, Riku could see he had come into an area filled with quite a few shops. Tram tracks were littered around the place also. Looking towards a hole in the wall at the other end of the area, he could just about make out a few trees and some grass on the other side. Realisation hit him immediately.

(The forest! It's on the other side of that wall!)

He glanced back down the building at the sound of growling, and was met with a nasty surprise. The infected were scaling up the building like spiders. They could climb!

Riku quickly took a chance without thinking anything through first, and leapt off the building. He closed his eyes tightly as he felt himself plummet towards the ground. His eyes quickly opened then. He needed to find out what else he could do. Without warning, Riku stretched out his infected arm to stop himself from falling, only to find it went straight through the ground and that he had summoned darkness from his hand. It opened up a small circle of darkness, which Riku soon fell through.

He soon found that he was trapped in between the ground and the open air. Looking down at himself, he found that all of his body had now become like a Shadow Heartless. At first, he started to panic, going to cry out in horror; however, he paused for a moment, stopping himself before he screamed.

(Wait… Am I able to morph into a Shadow Heartless?)

Riku glanced up to find the infected getting to the top of the building, scanning around the area as if they had lost him. He slowly floated up out the floor, coming to stand on solid ground once again.

(Yes! I have a disguise!)

Being infected didn't seem all that bad to Riku now. If he could morph into a Shadow Heartless, he'd be safer from the infected. They don't hurt the Heartless after all. The Heartless were the ones who started the virus in the first place!

Without a moment to lose, he slowly floated back into the ground, and began sneaking his way past the shops and under the large archway in order to reach the large hole in the wall. Once he was on the other side, and he had scanned around for any signs of infected or Heartless, Riku slowly managed to morph himself back to normal with the help of his light. He had placed a hand gently to his chest, the hand which wasn't infected, and a small circle of light appeared in it. That had helped him turn back to normal.

He stared up towards the large canopy of trees that surrounded the area intently.

(I'd better make sure not to summon my Keyblade until I reach the mansion. If they sense light, they'll be able to track me again)

Riku quickly dashed through the forest, until he could see a large clearing up ahead. His eyes widened in awe towards the large looking mansion before him. No wonder Namine had suggested he come here. The area was pretty much secluded, out in the middle of nowhere. There is no way anyone would think of looking for him in here.

Riku slowly walked towards the large iron gates in front of him, blocking his way from entering inside into the main courtyard. A sudden idea came to him.

(Maybe I don't have to use my Keyblade to get inside. I mean, if I can slip through the bars as a Heartless, it will save all the hassle of having to worry about the infected)

Taking in a deep breath, Riku summoned a circle of darkness around himself once again, and slowly morphed into a Shadow Heartless. Then silently, he slinked his way slowly along the floor towards a small gap in the gate. Yep, he was big enough to fit through there. However he found himself slamming into something hard, and before he knew it, a small shock was sent through his body. It sent him flying backwards suddenly.

He landed a small distance away from the gate, turning back to normal and landing flat on his back on the ground. Riku frowned confused as he sat up, groaning a little in agony.

(What in Kingdom Hearts was that?)

He glanced back at the gates once more, clutching onto his side tightly. It was hurting a little.

(That felt like light surging through me!)

Then it hit him like a book to the face.

(Ah. Now I see why Namine told me to open the gate with the Keyblade. The lock on the gate is surrounded by light, meaning it will repel any darkness that should try to enter)

Riku slowly stood and dusted off his jeans and yellow shirt, staring back towards the gates intently. He summoned "Way to Dawn" back into his hand, pointing it towards the lock. He looked back to make sure there were no infected or Heartless approaching, before firing a small purple beam towards the keyhole. The light entered the keyhole, and a loud clicking sound was heard. The gate parted into two halves, revealing the open path inside.

Without hesitation, Riku quickly ran inside the gates and pushed them closed again, pointing his Keyblade back towards the lock. Just like before, a small purple beam fired into the keyhole that was on the back of the lock. It was double sided, so it could be opened from either behind or on the front of the lock. A loud clicking was heard yet again, and then silence soon followed.

Summoning away his Keyblade, Riku quickly approached the gates and tried to yank them open. They didn't budge. The gates were locked once again. Riku silently turned towards the mansion up ahead.

(If only I could know how this began. Maybe… Maybe there are other survivors from other worlds, just like I am from Destiny Islands. Maybe… Maybe I could use my newfound abilities to help them. If there is a way that I can hide my appearance, and I somehow manage to manipulate my abilities better, I'll help the survivors. I'll take down Organisation XIII. And I'll find Sora and Kairi)

Riku gripped tightly onto the good luck charm through the material of his jeans.

(I promise you both. I won't stop looking. I'll find you, and I'll make this world a better place, for everyone…)

Taking in a deep breath, Riku slowly strode towards the large mansion, which was his home for now.

* * *

**Please leave your thoughts on this story. It will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. And I will try my best to update my other stories as soon as possible too.**


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